1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a method and apparatus for drying textiles, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for drying textiles using the addition of dehumidified air.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many textile manufactures must dry long, knitted sheets of textile fabrics. Due to the large quantity of textiles that must be dried, the amount of time required and the cost of utilities to dry these types of textiles is very substantial. Any increase in the productivity of drying textile sheets or any decrease in the utility cost of drying textile sheets will significantly increase the efficiency of the textile drying process.
Continuous steam heated, textile drying systems are currently used to dry long, knitted sheets of textiles. The continuous textile drying systems of the prior art typically include an enclosed dryer having a plurality of steam heating elements disposed therein and a feed system for continuously feeding textiles through the dryer. Steam is circulated through the heating element in the dryer to heat air within the dryer. The feed system continuously advances the textile sheets through the dryer so that the heated air within the dryer drys the textile sheets passing through the dryer. A particular section of a textile sheet is dried for the period of time in which it remains within the dryer. The period of time that a particular section remains in the dryer and the extent to which the textile sheet is dried, depends on the speed at which the feed system advances the textile sheets.
The feed system is controlled to feed the textile sheets through the dryer at a speed that ensures that the textiles spend sufficient time in the dryer to reach a selected moisture content. If the textile sheets are fed through the dryer at too great a speed, the textile sheets will not be sufficiently dried. Likewise, if the textiles are fed through the dryer at too low of a speed, productivity of the drying system will unnecessarily be reduced. The overall productivity of a continuous textile drying system is controlled by the rate of speed at which the textile sheets can be dried to a selected moisture content as they are advanced by the feed system through the dryer.
The continuous textile drying systems of the prior art must be fed through the dryer at relatively low speeds to ensure sufficient drying of the textile sheets. Because of the relatively low speed at which the textile sheets are advanced, the productivity of an individual dryer is relatively low. Accordingly, businesses must often invest in many individual dryers to handle their textile drying needs. In addition, continuous textile drying systems of the prior art demand a substantial amount of energy to operate the process resulting in relatively high utility expenses. Improvements in the productivity of continuous textile systems and reductions in the utility costs associated with continuous textile drying systems will provide significant cost savings to businesses using continuous textile drying systems.
Thus, there remains a need for a new and improved dryer for textile materials which is operable at increased productivity while, at the same time, requires less utility costs than a conventional dryer.